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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHomeless man sentenced to 6 years passing fake money to buy food
?w968h681A homeless man who tried to use a counterfeit $20 bill to buy food and toothpaste has been sentenced to up to six years in prison.
Levi Mitchell, 53, was found guilty of criminal possession of a forged instrument after attempting to use the fake bill at a pharmacy in New York City and again at a nearby restaurant.
Cashiers at both establishments rejected the homeless mans note, before police officers later found him in possession of five counterfeit $20 bills
....
According to Vera Institute of Justice figures from 2015, it costs taxpayers an average of $69,000 ... a year to incarcerate someone at New York state prison
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/homeless-man-toothpaste-food-counterfeit-20-bill-prison-six-years-new-york-a8745861.html?ref=hvper.com&utm_source=hvper.com&utm_medium=website
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Homeless man sentenced to 6 years passing fake money to buy food (Original Post)
packman
Jan 2019
OP
You cannot really use cost of prison to justify no jail time, also, multiple felony's. nt
USALiberal
Jan 2019
#7
TwistOneUp
(1,020 posts)1. Six years @ 69k/yr...
That's $414k. For under $100 of "criminal" activity.
Yeah, that makes sense. (snort)
TreasonousBastard
(43,049 posts)2. Well, he's got a home now. But...
heads would explode if, instead of 69 grand a year in the slam, the state spent a lot less to house him properly. Even give him some spending cash and the state would be ahead.
That, however, would be evil welfare, and must be avoided at all costs. Even costing 69 grand a year.
myohmy2
(3,176 posts)5. +1
...look at the bright side...
...at least he'll have warm meals and a warm bed for a while...
...
whistler162
(11,155 posts)3. 6th felony conviction could have been upto life in prison.
https://www.newsweek.com/homeless-man-who-tried-buy-toothpaste-counterfeit-20-sees-sentence-reduced-1306441
"One associate justice, Peter Tom, was the sole dissenter to the panel's majority ruling, with the judge asserting that Mitchell deserved the longer sentence he received in November 2015 due to the homeless man's previous convictions.
He noted that "leading back to 1981" Mitchell had "at least 30 prior criminal convictions, including five felonies and 25 misdemeanors," adding that "most of these prior convictions are recent."
In addition, defendant's criminal history includes serious felony convictions for attempted rape in the first degree, attempted robbery in the first degree, attempted criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, and grand larceny in the third degree."
If it had been one forged $20 and only once then the sentence would be harsh but 3 attempts and a total of 4 $20's that is more than just a "generous" person giving him a $20.
"One associate justice, Peter Tom, was the sole dissenter to the panel's majority ruling, with the judge asserting that Mitchell deserved the longer sentence he received in November 2015 due to the homeless man's previous convictions.
He noted that "leading back to 1981" Mitchell had "at least 30 prior criminal convictions, including five felonies and 25 misdemeanors," adding that "most of these prior convictions are recent."
In addition, defendant's criminal history includes serious felony convictions for attempted rape in the first degree, attempted robbery in the first degree, attempted criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, and grand larceny in the third degree."
If it had been one forged $20 and only once then the sentence would be harsh but 3 attempts and a total of 4 $20's that is more than just a "generous" person giving him a $20.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)8. Five previous felonies?
Glad hes in prison.
madville
(7,412 posts)4. Prior felony convictions certainly played a role, they could have
given him a life sentence under the guidelines.
Response to packman (Original post)
kacekwl This message was self-deleted by its author.
USALiberal
(10,877 posts)7. You cannot really use cost of prison to justify no jail time, also, multiple felony's. nt
roamer65
(36,747 posts)9. Now he gets free room and board.
It would be cheaper to get him housing and drug addiction treatment.
Mc Mike
(9,115 posts)10. Mike Cohen gets 3 for destroying our country.